Category: Film
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Reel 29: Pictures From a Revolution
There was a time, once, when movies had to have a certain look. They needed to be bright so they’d look good at the drive-in theater. They needed to have a specific sound because of technical limitations when presented. They needed to avoid certain topics. They needed to tone down the graphic violence. They needed…
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Reel 27: Gangsters Fighting Nazis
Gather ’round while I tell a story. Once upon a time, there was a time when it was universally agreed that Nazis were Bad People. As the late Norm Macdonald said, “You know, with Hitler, the more I learn about that guy, the more I don’t care for him.” Those were the days, weren’t they! Anyway, Nazism was so unpopular…
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Reel 25: 1970s Conspiracy Thrillers
It’s possible—perhaps even likely—that the whole Conspiracy Theory crowd was born from the Warren Commission’s report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which happened on November 22, 1963. What’s certain is that these theories about JFK’s death certainly bled over into Hollywood. And as a result, films in the 1970s started to spring…
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Reel 21: Ex-Spies
While this is a truly overstuffed episode, it’s worth it just to hear Sean connect all the dots with regard to various people’s Hollywood careers and how they relate to one another. In today’s episode we look at the lives of spies after they’re done being government employees. Our first film is 1998’s Ronin, directed…
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Short Subject: an outtake from Reel 14
Hi there: This is an outtake from our past episode that I (Claude) had to cut because the episode was running so long. But it was just amusing enough that I thought you’d find it fun. The only sad part is that you don’t get to see Sean’s face, looking for a way to respond…
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Corrections and Housekeeping
Hello, Friend: Still with us? I hope so. We’ve been having some ridiculous technical issues that have us rethinking our podcasting host, but those seem to be straightened out for the time being and we’ll be back on track with a new episode tomorrow evening. I hope we’re still cool. In the meantime, Sean offers…